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2 in 5 students positive about landing dream job

Posted on 13/07/2015 by

61% of final year students are confident they will be working within 12 months of their graduation - two in five (44%) in the career of their choice

The 2015 student survey, which surveyed 3,053 students, including 1,046 final year students, also found that 35% of final year students anticipate earning more than £22,000 in their first year after graduating, 9% of whom think they will be paid more than £30,000. 27% expect to be paid less than £16,000.

The survey, which was conducted by the Insight Team at NUS, also found the teaching and education sector to be the most popular career choice for final year students, favoured by 16%, while 11% opted for healthcare, 6% accountancy, banking or finance and 4% for law. However, students do not think landing this dream job will be an easy feat as two thirds (67%) would be willing to compromise on their chosen career path in order to secure employment within this time frame.

Looking further ahead, 17% of the final year students questioned said they expected to have achieved their career aspirations within their first five years of working, whilst a further 53% said they believed they would be on track to do so at this time. In general, the survey showed that students expected to be established in their careers by the age of 29 – with a competitive 30% saying that they wanted to achieve this particular milestone before their friends did.

When asked about how they envisaged their lives following university playing out more generally, students said that they expected to own their own home by the age of 29 and to have paid off their personal debt by the age of 30. When it comes to relationships, the survey found that students envisage moving in with their partners at the age of 26, tying the knot by the age of 29 and having their first child at 30.

Of those already in relationships (35%), almost two thirds (64%) said they expected to marry their current partner, while 5% said they planned on having at least one other relationship before settling down. While most of those who intend to marry say 24 is the age to start planning for this, 21% of students have already started saving for their big day.

Sara Newell, Head of Student & Graduate Markets at Endsleigh said: “As final year students prepare to graduate this summer, it is clear that their outlook on life over the coming years is extremely positive – but they are by no means leaving this down to luck. Having worked hard at university, final year students show no intention of taking a step back as they move into life after university. Finding full-time employment in the career of their choice is clearly a priority and becoming established in whichever career they end up pursuing is of huge importance. The results also showed that final year students are equally as ambitious when it comes to their personal lives– with milestones such as buying their first home and getting married firmly on their agendas too.”